Kohaku
|death= |status=Training with Kirara |species=Human |gender=Male |eyes=Brown |hair=Brown |skin= |occupation=Yōkai taijiya |weapons=Kusarigama |team=*Kagura *Kikyō *Sesshōmaru, Rin, Jaken, A-Un *Kirara |affiliation=*Naraku *Yōkai taijiya village |family=*Sango *Kohaku and Sango's mother *Kohaku's father *Shako In the anime only *Miroku *Miroku and Sango's daughters *Miroku and Sango's son |anime debut=24 |manga=86 |movie=2 |game=The Secret of the Cursed Mask |japanese voice= |english voice=* *Danny McKinnon *Aidan Drummond |imagecat=Images of Kohaku }} was Sango's younger brother. He was also a yōkai taijiya, like his older sister and their father, from the Yōkai taijiya village. He was manipulated by Naraku through most of the time during the Shikon Jewel's return to the feudal era, and he was only kept alive by the jewel shard in the back of his neck. History When he was still an infant, his mother died and his sister took care of him along with their father. During the story He was killed by a demon posing to be a castle's lord during one of the Yōkai Taijiya's missions and was made to kill every Yōkai Taijiya that was there. He is later revived by Naraku as a human puppet and has a Shikon no Tama shard embedded in his back to keep him alive and under the control of Naraku without memory of what he had done. Kohaku, at first before being slain, was inexperienced with his weapon, a kusarigama (a demon bone sickle on a chain). He then becomes a rather advanced wielder with the power of the Shikon Jewel shard. He encountered his sister a few times not long after being under Naraku's control and at first he was unable to recognize her at all, although her face does seem familiar to him. Early on, Kohaku was ordered by Naraku to kill Kagome, but he was prevented from doing so. Kohaku is later used as a guard to keep an eye on Rin when Naraku kidnaps her; he was to kill her or be killed by Sesshōmaru, only to fail at that. He later served as Naraku's messenger, along with Kanna for the Band of Seven. He encountered Sango again during this time, and protected her by leading her outside Mount Hakurei without revealing his identity. He is later charged with keeping the Infant safe, along with Kanna, by staying in a human castle. When the castle is attacked by Princess Abi, Kohaku fights against Naraku's order to kill everyone and take back the Infant, crying as it's not what he wants. The time he spent in the castle, along with killing comrades awoke his sleeping memories; he nearly fell to his death from Kagura's feather before she caught him. Deciding to redeem himself by killing Naraku, Kohaku pretended to still be under his control. This was put to the test when Hakudōshi released a swarm of demon rats, and he was left to keep the shrine they came from open. Luckily, Kikyō destroyed the shrine, allowing him to continue his ruse. Later ordered to kill Parasitic Nymphs, Kohaku revealed he regained his memory to Kagura, gaining a shard of demonic energy to track the Fuyōheki with; Naraku's heart, the Infant had it in his possession, and if the Infant was slain, Naraku would die with it. Kohaku was then tasked with slaying demons, meeting a father and son who helped bind a wound he received while tracking a parasitic demon; it possessed the boy, who Kohaku chased after to free him from the demon. His sister arrived and drove the demon out, forcing him to leave to continue the ruse. He eventually ran into Kagura again, and she tried killing him for his shard; Hakudōshi and the Infant had turned on Naraku and needed shards to gain power for their plan to replace him. When his determination showed Kagura the truth about their situations, she sent him away on a feather for his own safety. Sango followed, but a confrontation with Mōryōmaru forced him to reveal the truth to her. Kohaku then sought to find redemption for himself by traveling with Kikyō, and remains by her side until she tells him he must leave her to keep his shard pure. Saved from Byakuya by the timely arrival of Sesshōmaru, Kohaku forms a friendship with Rin and helps to protect her. In chapter 529, Kohaku's jewel shard was removed but surprisingly, he did not die or wither away. This was due to Kikyō's light releasing the jewel shard and remaining in Kohaku's body, as explained by Kagome. Despite not serving a combat role in the final battle with Naraku, Kohaku helps guard Rin after her rescue and gives Miroku his mask to protect him from the miasma. Later life In the last chapter, Kohaku is revealed to be traveling around with Kirara, slaying Yōkai for those in need. Tōtōsai gives him a new weapon, although he says it's heavier than his old one; Kohaku is thankful regardless. The old swordsmith then asks Kohaku if he still visits his sister Sango from time to time. With a smile, Kohaku laughs, saying "no, their home is kind of crowded." Personality Kohaku is a humble and kindhearted boy who cares for his family and is very close to his sister Sango. When Naraku controlled his mind he was forced to kill everybody including his own father, leaving him in a state of shock. Naraku then used the guilt-ridden Kohaku as a pawn and puppet for his dirty work. Though Kohaku was a gentle boy, he was easily manipulated by Naraku to commit terrible acts because of his weak heart. He desired to forget the memories of killing his father and companions and allowed Naraku to erase them so his mind would be more at ease. After several encounters with Sango and her comrades as Naraku's pawn however, he begins to remember his sister and his life as a demon slayer. The memories bring back his extreme guilt and sorrow, thus, he decides to kill Naraku and redeem himself. Kohaku is also very self-sacrificing about his own life compared to others, such as giving his own life to save Kagome, who had been taken hostage by Naraku. Kohaku's greatest desire is to face his father and comrades in the afterlife with an apology and be forgiven. Powers & Abilities Kohaku, like his sister and father, has been trained in demon-slaying from a young age, although initially his skills were far inferior to Sango's. His further training during his time as Naraku's puppet further enhanced his skills, turning him into a formidable warrior able to swiftly eliminate both human and demon opponents. Kohaku's weapon of choice is a kusarigama (a large sickle made of demon bones, attached to a long weight-tipped chain) which he is equally adept with at either distance or close quarters. His other equipment includes a demon-slayer's armor, a filter mask and a demon-bone wakizashi (short sword), virtually identical to Sango's. Relationships Family ;Sango He is very close to his sister; though he was brainwashed by Naraku who resurrected him from death. Kohaku meets Sango and realized her as his older sister, though he hid himself from her. Once he regains his memory, Kohaku is determined to kill Naraku secretly without letting Sango know. He feels great guilt for causing Sango much emotional pain and believes he is unworthy of life. By The Final Act, he begins to feel the burning desire to live once more and redeem himself. ;Miroku Miroku, like Inuyasha, has desperately tried to save Kohaku several times during their meetings, even risking his own life in the process. Because he is in love with Sango, Miroku is aware what Kohaku's death would do to her and thus does everything in his power to protect his life. Kohaku later acknowledged the monk's bravery during his possession by Magatsuhi as well as his sister's love for Miroku. After Naraku is destroyed, Kohaku asks Miroku to take care of his sister for him in his absence, clearly showing he trusts the monk. Allies ;Kirara Kohaku is close to Kirara. After Kohaku regained his memories, Kohaku would spend time with Kirara. He seems to have trusts and close relationship with her, and cares for her. Kirara also feels the same, trying to save him through dangers. ;Rin After she was abducted by Kagura, Rin met Kohaku in the shrine. They soon befriended each other. In fact, Rin lost her entire family who were slaughtered by thieves and Kohaku struggled to recover his memories when Naraku controlled him. At first their relationship started off rather horribly when Naraku ordered Kohaku to kill Rin in front of Inuyasha, Kagome and Sesshōmaru, but he refused to. They encounter each other a second time in a cave on Mount Hakurei. Kohaku protected Rin from the emerging demons, but also urged her to escape before she was killed. Later, he joined Sesshōmaru and Jaken after Kagura and Kikyō's death. In the later portion of the series, Kōhaku becomes protective of Rin, keeping their friendship alive. ;Sesshōmaru Kohaku joins Sesshōmaru after Kikyō's death and stays as part of his group for a considerable length of time the Final Act. Kohaku is respectful and admiring though wary of Sesshōmaru and spends much time guarding Rin when Sesshōmaru cannot. Kohaku is not afraid to beg Sesshōmaru to spare others' lives, an example being when his sister Sango nearly killed Rin trying to kill Naraku. Kohaku is the first to offer an excuse for her and desperately tries to convince Sesshōmaru not to kill Sango in anger. This shows that he very much cares for and would do anything to protect his sister, much like she did for him when he was young, and is in essence a role reversal (i.e. Sango settling down as a housewife and her brother becoming the dominant protector). ;Kikyō His first meeting with Kikyō as an enemy, Kohaku was unsure of Kikyō until he fled from Naraku and refused staying with Inuyasha's group. He came across Kikyō and begged her to use his life to destroy Naraku, thus, redeeming him of his guilt and sins. He was not phased by her warnings her plan would lead to his death, he even accepted it gladly. During their journey together, Kohaku begins to have respect and concern for Kikyō, even worrying when she puts herself in danger. Kohaku mentions his main purpose for staying with Kikyō to Sango as, Kikyō's presence calms his spirit and he feels as if sins are cleansed and redeemed around her. When Kikyō dies, Kohaku is guilt-ridden that he could not protect her and is resolved to carry out her mission to destroy Naraku with his shard. Enemies ;Naraku Though he willingly obeyed Naraku for much of the series, Kohaku always despised him for manipulating him and causing him to kill his father and comrades and wound not only Sango but countless others. Over the course of time, Kohaku's memories return and he becomes determined to kill Naraku and avenge his loved ones killed by Naraku and also to redeem himself for being used as a killer. Kohaku betrays Naraku and escapes with Kagura's help and from that point Naraku hunts Kohaku for his jewel shard. Once Kikyō uses Kohaku's shard as part of her plan to destroy Naraku, Kohaku becomes a major threat to his great enemy and Naraku is forced to plan carefully when dealing with him. Others ;Inuyasha Inuyasha has tried to protect Kohaku from death several times including a time with Sango and with Sesshōmaru. Inuyasha is determined to keep Kohaku alive for two reasons: he does not want Naraku to get what he wants (i.e. the Sacred Jewel shard in his back), the taking of which would lead Kohaku's death and also because he knows that Sango will be grief-stricken if her brother dies. Kohaku comes to respect Inuyasha greatly. ;Kagome Kohaku gets along with Kagome very much, as Kagome risks her life to save Kohaku because she knows that Kohaku's death would be devastating for Sango, whom she cares deeply for. Kohaku says that Kagome reminds him of how Kikyō was, which meant that he always felt calm when he was around her. Kohaku also protects Kagome because she is best friends with Sango and gains respect when he sees how powerful Kagome can really be. There was a time when Kagome asked Sesshōmaru to spare Kohaku's life when he was going to kill him instead, that was when Kohaku was still under Naraku's spell. Quotes Trivia *The new kusarigama that Kohaku received from Tōtōsai is extremely reminiscent of the corrupted weapon that he had when he was possessed by Magatsuhi. *As stated by Sesshōmaru's mother, Kohaku can't be revived by Tenseiga because his life has already been unnaturally prolonged. *In the early series (manga and anime), the jewel shard that kept Kohaku alive was in the middle of his back. Towards the end, it was at the top of the neck. *His seiyū, Akiko Yajima, voiced Inuyasha and Kagome's enemy Yura. Media appearances *Chapter 87 *Chapter 92 *Chapter 105 *Chapter 106 *Chapter 107 *Chapter 108 *Chapter 109 *Chapter 110 *Chapter 111 *Chapter 122 *Chapter 177 *Chapter 178 *Chapter 179 *Chapter 180 *Chapter 181 *Chapter 182 *Chapter 219 *Chapter 222 *Chapter 223 *Chapter 224 *Chapter 234 *Chapter 235 *Chapter 238 *Chapter 249 *Chapter 250 *Chapter 252 *Chapter 253 *Chapter 254 *Chapter 258 *Chapter 263 *Chapter 266 *Chapter 287 *Chapter 303 *Chapter 304 *Chapter 311 *Chapter 312 *Chapter 313 *Chapter 314 *Chapter 326 *Chapter 327 *Chapter 328 *Chapter 329 *Chapter 330 *Chapter 331 *Chapter 335 *Chapter 336 *Chapter 337 *Chapter 338 *Chapter 352 *Chapter 359 *Chapter 360 *Chapter 361 *Chapter 367 *Chapter 368 *Chapter 369 *Chapter 371 *Chapter 372 *Chapter 373 *Chapter 374 *Chapter 375 *Chapter 376 *Chapter 377 *Chapter 378 *Chapter 403 *Chapter 404 *Chapter 405 *Chapter 406 *Chapter 408 *Chapter 409 *Chapter 411 *Chapter 440 *Chapter 441 *Chapter 442 *Chapter 443 *Chapter 444 *Chapter 447 *Chapter 448 *Chapter 449 *Chapter 452 *Chapter 453 *Chapter 455 *Chapter 456 *Chapter 464 *Chapter 465 *Chapter 466 *Chapter 467 *Chapter 468 *Chapter 469 *Chapter 470 *Chapter 471 *Chapter 472 *Chapter 488 *Chapter 489 *Chapter 490 *Chapter 491 *Chapter 492 *Chapter 493 *Chapter 495 *Chapter 496 *Chapter 497 *Chapter 498 *Chapter 499 *Chapter 500 *Chapter 503 *Chapter 504 *Chapter 513 *Chapter 514 *Chapter 515 *Chapter 516 *Chapter 517 *Chapter 518 *Chapter 519 *Chapter 521 *Chapter 521 *Chapter 522 *Chapter 523 *Chapter 524 *Chapter 525 *Chapter 526 *Chapter 527 *Chapter 528 *Chapter 529 *Chapter 530 *Chapter 531 *Chapter 536 *Chapter 537 *Chapter 540 *Chapter 542 *Chapter 543 *Chapter 544 *Chapter 545 *Chapter 546 *Chapter 547 *Chapter 548 *Chapter 549 *Chapter 550 *Chapter 551 *Chapter 552 *Chapter 553 *Chapter 558 *''InuYasha Since Then'' Anime *Episode 24 *Episode 25 *Episode 29 *Episode 30 *Episode 33 *Episode 40 *Episode 41 *Episode 49 *Episode 50 *Episode 51 *Episode 78 *Episode 80 *Episode 81 *Episode 82 *Episode 83 *''InuYasha the Movie: The Castle Beyond the Looking Glass'' *Episode 100 *Episode 102 *Episode 103 *Episode 104 *Episode 107 *Episode 109 *Episode 110 *Episode 111 *Episode 113 *Episode 115 *Episode 116 *Episode 117 *Episode 118 *Episode 127 *Episode 142 *Episode 144 *Episode 146 *Episode 149 *Episode 151 *Episode 152 *Episode 153 *Episode 157 *Episode 158 *Episode 159 *Episode 163 *Episode 164 *Episode 165 *Episode 167 *Episode 1 (FA) *Episode 2 (FA) *Episode 5 (FA) *Episode 6 (FA) *Episode 7 (FA) *Episode 8 (FA) *Episode 9 (FA) *Episode 10 (FA) *Episode 13 (FA) *Episode 14 (FA) *Episode 15 (FA) *Episode 17 (FA) *Episode 18 (FA) *Episode 19 (FA) *Episode 20 (FA) *Episode 21 (FA) *Episode 22 (FA) *Episode 23 (FA) *Episode 24 (FA) *Episode 25 (FA) *Episode 26 (FA) }} Notes References ca:Kohaku de:Kohaku es:Kohaku ms:Kohaku pl:Kohaku pt-br:Kohaku vi:Kohaku zh:琥珀 Category:Humans Category:Individuals Category:Individuals from the feudal era Category:Male Category:Shikon Jewel Shard Users Category:Swordsmen Category:Yōkai Taijiya